Microsoft News Tracker

Today Apple announced the iPhone 2.0 software beta with a variety of business-use features including support for Microsoft Exchange email users. Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Exchange explains:

We’re happy that Apple is adding the iPhone to the growing number of mobile devices that connect with Exchange Server. As part of a business agreement with Microsoft, Apple will build Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync into the iPhone – making it possible for iPhone owners to access Exchange and take advantage of its secure mobile communications features.
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The Apple iPhone is one of those popular devices that now join the long list of smartphones able to connect to Exchange. This is one of those win-win propositions in that it helps us serve iPhone users, and it helps Apple serve the needs of the enterprise.

Myerson takes pains to explain how Apple and Microsoft can both cooperate on Exchange access and compete in other areas simultaneously, but it isn’t a surprise - both are big enough with enough breadth of product that it is inevitable.

Microsoft today announced the acquisition of Credentica’s online privacy enhancing technology, U-Prove:

Today is an exciting day for privacy and Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft.  One of the main objectives of Microsoft’s privacy strategy is to provide our customers with more control over the collection and use of their personal information.  Today we unveiled the acquisition of an important privacy-enhancing technology that aligns very well with this objective.  Microsoft has acquired Credentica’s U-Prove technology for private and secure identity and access management, together with all of the underlying patents invented by Dr. Stefan Brands.  This technology can, among other things, enable people to prove things about themselves without needing to reveal their identity.
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Credentica’s U-Prove technology will help people protect their identities by enabling them to disclose only the minimum amount of information needed for a transaction – sometimes no personal information may be needed at all.  When this technology is broadly available in Microsoft products (such as Windows Communication Foundation and Windows Cardspace), enterprises, governments, and consumers all stand to benefit from the enhanced security and privacy that it will enable.  We look forward to a world where people have more control of their personal information and are better protected from harms of online fraud and identity theft.  Stefan Brands has now joined Microsoft’ Identity & Access Group along with his colleagues Christian Paquin, and Greg Thompson.

No terms were announced. For more details on U-Prove and the rationale behind the acquisition, check out Stephan Brands’ blog post on the acquisition.